A galley does not rely solely on the wind to move: banks of oars and rowers below deck make it manoeuvrable and handy.

It is also heavily-armed, with 42-pounder cannons giving it a formidable weight of shot for each volley. It can also move directly into the wind, and even turn on the spot if the rowers on one side of the ship back water while their companions continue to row normally. These handy sailing qualities come at a price, though: the large crew of rowers are vulnerable to grapeshot; the hull and oars are weak compared to a ship of the line.

Galleys tended to be employed in relatively sheltered waters, and close to a friendly port, the second due to the large crew of rowers. The life of a rower can be brutal and short. Some countries use criminals at the oars, and these men are chained to the ship to prevent escape. If the ship goes down, however, the rowers perish with it. They are always confined below the fighting platform of the ship, and are in danger from grapeshot and broken oars. Indeed, a good raking with grapeshot will cripple a galley as surely as firing chainshot into the masts of a sailing vessel.

Available only to the Ottoman Empire, the galley is unique from other ships in that it relies on oars as well as sails for movement. It is armed with only four cannons and, unusually, all of them face forward. Despite the very low number of cannon, galleys can be very dangerous as each individual cannon is very powerful for such a small ship type. A few galleys can easily and quickly disable large ships of the line, wreaking heavy damage on their hulls in short order. They are easily the smallest ships in the game barring dhows, making them hard to hit, particularly for Bomb Ketches and Rocket Ships.

Galleys are countered by small ships such as brigs and corvettes. Their smaller frames make them more difficult to hit, and their faster speed allows them to close the distance quickly enough to end engagements quickly.

Galleys come with many distinct disadvantages. Their top speed is unremarkable, and their sails are easily destroyed by Chain Shot or even Round Shot. Galleys' weak hulls and exposed decks mean Grape Shot and round shot are very effective against them.

The Ottoman Empire begins the Europe Campaign with a total of five galleys in the Aegean Sea.